tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922Sat, 26 Nov 2016 11:21:17 +0000light sabersculpturesnowsnow sculptureAT-ATCostumeDRAGONDRAGONSHOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGONKIDSLEDLIGHTSTurtlelightpisabertaun taunMakermig: Stuff I've MadeThis blog is dedicated to stuff I've made, am making and am going to make. Really excited about this one!http://makermig.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)Blogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-8409430082524647131Thu, 31 Mar 2016 04:29:00 +00002016-03-30T21:29:43.336-07:00For A bit of fun today, I did a little photoshop action of a Star Wars Millennium Falcon and Darth Vader's Tie Fighter. &nbsp;First we started off with the base pancakes.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7GGOYe9Fcy0/VmRRAkB8mTI/AAAAAAAACJM/LV2QRHXartE/s1600/IMG_3570.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7GGOYe9Fcy0/VmRRAkB8mTI/AAAAAAAACJM/LV2QRHXartE/s320/IMG_3570.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3dXHVxFd2Rs/VmRQ_6qp88I/AAAAAAAACJA/gjQt3-GIupY/s1600/Milenium%2BFalcoln.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3dXHVxFd2Rs/VmRQ_6qp88I/AAAAAAAACJA/gjQt3-GIupY/s320/Milenium%2BFalcoln.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br />After that, with a little bit of photoshop, we took it to the next level.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_7fMJHQxO4/VmRdEjCLnzI/AAAAAAAACJY/JA8-PWQikYY/s1600/Millenium%2BFalcon%2BStarWars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="488" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_7fMJHQxO4/VmRdEjCLnzI/AAAAAAAACJY/JA8-PWQikYY/s640/Millenium%2BFalcon%2BStarWars.jpg" title="Star Wars Millennium Falcon &amp; Tie Fighter Pancake" width="640" /></a></div><br />http://makermig.blogspot.com/2016/03/for-bit-of-fun-today-i-did-little.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-3760969506538322464Mon, 06 Apr 2015 04:57:00 +00002015-04-05T21:58:49.972-07:00How PancakeBot Inspires Kids<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">I got a great letter for a young man in high school about how PancakeBot inspired him to build a chocolate printer.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">This is one of the reasons why we kept moving forward with this project.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Here's the letter.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">I've just kept the young man's initials for privacy sake.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span><br /><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Hi Miguel,</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I just wanted to let you know how much you have inspired me. I saw (online) your original PancakeBot a couple years ago and I thought it was amazing that you were using the same technology (NXT) as I was playing around with. Fast forward to this past summer when I happened to come across the incredible stop motion video you did with breakfast food. That again inspired me as I have enjoyed making a few stop motions.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Then this year (my senior year in high school) I had to come up with a full year engineering project to design and build. Since last year I have been very into 3D printing so I decided to go for some twist on that. I wanted to make a self-flipping PancakeBot but my teacher said he did not want me "cooking" in the robotics lab. Instead, I am creating a chocolate 3D printer. (I can't find my original drawings for the pancake machine but one idea had two heated conveyer belts with a flipper in the middle, similar to a donut machine).</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Again, as I am finishing my chocolate printer I saw that you have a third version and a Kickstarter!</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">While I am going into college next year and a PancakeBot would be amazing to have in a dorm, I do not think I can afford it at the moment (you know, because of paying for college) but I am doing mechanical engineering and hope to make/own one one day.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Again though, thank you for making such a cool machine and sharing the iterations of the device. You have certainly inspired me that I can someday take an idea I have (like a chocolate 3D printer), create it and bring it to the market.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">~E.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">P.S. If you want to check out my chocolate 3D printer, here it is: <a href="http://chocolateprinter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">chocolateprinter.blogspot.com</a></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-pancakebot-inspires-kids.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-6331370464761487889Mon, 29 Dec 2014 15:02:00 +00002014-12-29T07:05:26.645-08:00Christmas Card in the MakingI hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (or at least going to have one as of this posting).<br />This years Christmas card took us on a wild adventure into the skies as the girls hijacked Santa's Sleigh in an effort to get their presents first. &nbsp;It was a wild ride all captured from an aerial drone a few thousand feet in the air. &nbsp;Thankfully, Santa Claus was able to hitch a ride back on Rudolph and recover his sleigh after discussing the dangers of sleigh robbing with the girls. &nbsp;They were apologetic and just overwhelmed with excitement.<br />So here's how we did it this year!<br /><br />First, as usual, I started off with a real bad sketch on a yellow sticky pad. &nbsp;Unfortunately, my sketching abilities have not improved much.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bo7QDsZayKM/VKFpb70jGpI/AAAAAAAABmA/RbdnLSY_UtQ/s1600/IMG_2119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bo7QDsZayKM/VKFpb70jGpI/AAAAAAAABmA/RbdnLSY_UtQ/s1600/IMG_2119.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>The idea was to be able to get the whole family in on the gag, pretty much, girls taking over the sleigh and us hanging on for dear life. &nbsp;It all seemed pretty simple except where were we going to find a sleigh? <br />Although living in Norway, you would think that there are lots of sleighs just lying around, well, unfortunately, I couldn't find that sleigh I was looking for. &nbsp;So, I decided to build one.<br />A smaller scale of course.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9dSl-LbbmIA/VKFp-Ini07I/AAAAAAAABmM/IIbU6kC_HUs/s1600/IMG_2121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9dSl-LbbmIA/VKFp-Ini07I/AAAAAAAABmM/IIbU6kC_HUs/s1600/IMG_2121.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Started off with a sketch...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7naN8AMRddo/VKFp-H5Lq7I/AAAAAAAABmQ/_1J4oZN9plc/s1600/IMG_2122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7naN8AMRddo/VKFp-H5Lq7I/AAAAAAAABmQ/_1J4oZN9plc/s1600/IMG_2122.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom and front of the sleigh with grooves cut into the front to allow for bending.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0QExqmeqm4/VKFp-IpMrhI/AAAAAAAABmI/rBryirpCJVA/s1600/IMG_2123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0QExqmeqm4/VKFp-IpMrhI/AAAAAAAABmI/rBryirpCJVA/s1600/IMG_2123.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little bandsaw action.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-002-bbyQIuE/VKFp-nQcA_I/AAAAAAAABmo/5pHLtahI4A8/s1600/IMG_2125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-002-bbyQIuE/VKFp-nQcA_I/AAAAAAAABmo/5pHLtahI4A8/s1600/IMG_2125.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soak the bottom in water to warp the wood.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TAUTDHWpcEQ/VKFp-ow9AsI/AAAAAAAABmU/XVe7yzzXI00/s1600/IMG_2131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TAUTDHWpcEQ/VKFp-ow9AsI/AAAAAAAABmU/XVe7yzzXI00/s1600/IMG_2131.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some pieces of aluminum sculpting rod for the rails.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mVgPutXXplI/VKFp_GeRFHI/AAAAAAAABmc/9E-Llx0_Tiw/s1600/IMG_2136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mVgPutXXplI/VKFp_GeRFHI/AAAAAAAABmc/9E-Llx0_Tiw/s1600/IMG_2136.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand made custom foam cushions and a quick paint job.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Once the sleigh was made, I mounted it on a tube that was cut at an angle that I wanted to photograph the sleigh in.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kqx7f9B1kJQ/VKFqxds8LYI/AAAAAAAABm4/Rs1N7-oqKNY/s1600/IMG_4676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kqx7f9B1kJQ/VKFqxds8LYI/AAAAAAAABm4/Rs1N7-oqKNY/s1600/IMG_4676.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miniature sleigh with miniature sack of presents.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />Now the trick was to get the girls involved. &nbsp;With a limited attention span, this can be difficult. &nbsp;Both the girls were photographed separately on a propped up couch, with a fan blowing their hair back.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xT51ex6W5nI/VKFrQz5TnvI/AAAAAAAABnA/iqwtUZ7wZRw/s1600/IMG_4692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xT51ex6W5nI/VKFrQz5TnvI/AAAAAAAABnA/iqwtUZ7wZRw/s1600/IMG_4692.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A string to pull back the hat.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EnPNYGwEqwo/VKFrQ34yR0I/AAAAAAAABnE/eNSjQvXBrBQ/s1600/IMG_4700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EnPNYGwEqwo/VKFrQ34yR0I/AAAAAAAABnE/eNSjQvXBrBQ/s1600/IMG_4700.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bel and and the perfect expression captured at just the right time.</td></tr></tbody></table>Once all the images were compiled, I found a couple more images from the web of a city background, a falling santa, presents and some 3D rendered reindeer. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o0XQAkjeZG4/VKFsB0zgpzI/AAAAAAAABnY/ndvWi3kdCbs/s1600/blue-present.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o0XQAkjeZG4/VKFsB0zgpzI/AAAAAAAABnY/ndvWi3kdCbs/s1600/blue-present.jpg" height="280" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Lc-ZeeAOh4/VKFsCSDuPTI/AAAAAAAABnw/WaoG0OcmMnE/s1600/FullMoon2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Lc-ZeeAOh4/VKFsCSDuPTI/AAAAAAAABnw/WaoG0OcmMnE/s1600/FullMoon2010.jpg" height="304" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KVHJOxLBt98/VKFsCga_j3I/AAAAAAAABng/tInQvCWqDHM/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KVHJOxLBt98/VKFsCga_j3I/AAAAAAAABng/tInQvCWqDHM/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3FbaVsvCT4/VKFsfZ4tS7I/AAAAAAAABoE/KEGdz3_ozB8/s1600/night-city-pictures-18%2B(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3FbaVsvCT4/VKFsfZ4tS7I/AAAAAAAABoE/KEGdz3_ozB8/s1600/night-city-pictures-18%2B(1).jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rblLsNaNy0U/VKFsCvU4hCI/AAAAAAAABnk/2SFFkiQ-OV4/s1600/present.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rblLsNaNy0U/VKFsCvU4hCI/AAAAAAAABnk/2SFFkiQ-OV4/s1600/present.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />To add suspense to the card, we added the following front to it.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUlloQaeegI/VKFsx9NwyuI/AAAAAAAABoM/SET4r905JzE/s1600/2014%2BEnglish%2BFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUlloQaeegI/VKFsx9NwyuI/AAAAAAAABoM/SET4r905JzE/s1600/2014%2BEnglish%2BFront.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div><br />A little bit of photoshop magic and some titles, and we were on our way.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gKEsRO6yjLU/VKFsYOU4NGI/AAAAAAAABn8/6nApOdRUcTY/s1600/2014%2BEnglish%2BInside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gKEsRO6yjLU/VKFsYOU4NGI/AAAAAAAABn8/6nApOdRUcTY/s1600/2014%2BEnglish%2BInside.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div><br />So our apologies if your presents were late this year. &nbsp;We are doing our best to better teach the girls about hijacking sleighs and such so we hope it won't happen again next year.<br /><br />Thanks to the photographers who put out their images to use.<br /><br />Till then, Happy Holidays!</div>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-card-in-making.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-3221896877238245768Sun, 02 Nov 2014 07:32:00 +00002014-11-04T04:46:10.853-08:00CostumeDRAGONDRAGONSHOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGONKIDSLEDLIGHTSTurtleHappy Halloween!Well folks. &nbsp;It has been a long two months preparing for Halloween. &nbsp; I wanted to continue with a some info on how we completed the costume and show you the results below.<br /><br />The body was one of the more difficult part of the costumes as it needed to incorporate fleece, spandex and foam along with a tail.<br />We started off with the tail by sewing together pieces of fleece and stuffing it with foam.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kB5ATkHiL-w/VFXa2Mnj20I/AAAAAAAABiY/nSgTAqjLGKA/s1600/photo%2B1%2Bcopy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kB5ATkHiL-w/VFXa2Mnj20I/AAAAAAAABiY/nSgTAqjLGKA/s1600/photo%2B1%2Bcopy.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pieces of foam were cut into the fins and the tail fin was made up of plastic rods and fabric with a painted logo on it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Tl1Xq7_bWI/VFXbIh3SH9I/AAAAAAAABig/p2tdVyTjdeU/s1600/photo%2B2%2Bcopy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Tl1Xq7_bWI/VFXbIh3SH9I/AAAAAAAABig/p2tdVyTjdeU/s1600/photo%2B2%2Bcopy.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>The fins were painted black and a leather strap was added for the control surface.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8bSMkN7RyuA/VFXbTB2lrhI/AAAAAAAABio/6l4_V9yLHk8/s1600/photo%2B3%2Bcopy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8bSMkN7RyuA/VFXbTB2lrhI/AAAAAAAABio/6l4_V9yLHk8/s1600/photo%2B3%2Bcopy.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The forearms of the character were thick and were made by gluing two pieces of foam together along the edges. &nbsp;A hole at the end allowed my daughter to put her hands through them so she could hold candy etc.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-McZYz09sPmQ/VFXbrma7zvI/AAAAAAAABiw/C7gANmCumkY/s1600/photo%2B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-McZYz09sPmQ/VFXbrma7zvI/AAAAAAAABiw/C7gANmCumkY/s1600/photo%2B5.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The forearms were then inserted into the spandex body and glued with hot glue. &nbsp;Foam fingers were glued on to the tips and texture was painted on to the surface to emulate scales.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ojAvpVeu5s/VFXcArmI5oI/AAAAAAAABi4/OwySUFwVDXE/s1600/photo%2B4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ojAvpVeu5s/VFXcArmI5oI/AAAAAAAABi4/OwySUFwVDXE/s1600/photo%2B4.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The feet were made out of pieces of foam glued together and were also inserted into the calves of the suit, covered with spandex, and then texturized with paint. &nbsp;Foam claws were added at the base. &nbsp;The feet fit around my daughters snow boots.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bFNrB4LFCzw/VFXcZEEWIlI/AAAAAAAABjA/HOk5xPgyEfE/s1600/photo%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bFNrB4LFCzw/VFXcZEEWIlI/AAAAAAAABjA/HOk5xPgyEfE/s1600/photo%2B3.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Blue LED's were soldered in parallel to a strip of fabric and velcro was attached to the body suit so they strip would stick. &nbsp;LED's were also added to the nose and mouth to make it glow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IKrXoaRjltQ/VFXczi29MpI/AAAAAAAABjM/Q6xm1QVhFwA/s1600/How%2BTo%2BDrain%2BYour%2BDragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IKrXoaRjltQ/VFXczi29MpI/AAAAAAAABjM/Q6xm1QVhFwA/s1600/How%2BTo%2BDrain%2BYour%2BDragon.jpg" height="640" width="412" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGaKQBfnDoM/VFXczp2hkYI/AAAAAAAABjI/sbZ-Lt__7Zc/s1600/Toothless_Face_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGaKQBfnDoM/VFXczp2hkYI/AAAAAAAABjI/sbZ-Lt__7Zc/s1600/Toothless_Face_2.jpg" height="640" width="454" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is the result of the final dragon suit. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ILWY9mV9xyM/VFhifQCj6qI/AAAAAAAABkA/vPehraNU4jw/s1600/IMG_4509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ILWY9mV9xyM/VFhifQCj6qI/AAAAAAAABkA/vPehraNU4jw/s1600/IMG_4509.jpg" height="640" width="412" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The turtle suit took less time but this was because my wife is a sewing genius.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p0W33uy-99o/VFXdedUDCxI/AAAAAAAABjY/hRxZyU2RT28/s1600/turtle01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p0W33uy-99o/VFXdedUDCxI/AAAAAAAABjY/hRxZyU2RT28/s1600/turtle01.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here Mama and maia are hard at work prepping the turtle suit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BZUNg-6yOBg/VFXdmWh3GjI/AAAAAAAABjg/wbwCiSCGtXg/s1600/turtle2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BZUNg-6yOBg/VFXdmWh3GjI/AAAAAAAABjg/wbwCiSCGtXg/s1600/turtle2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Leather flippers added!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3WMDHE3ntEc/VFXduyOuLuI/AAAAAAAABjo/1rigumHocuk/s1600/IMG_4604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3WMDHE3ntEc/VFXduyOuLuI/AAAAAAAABjo/1rigumHocuk/s1600/IMG_4604.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">She opted to have a batman logo on her face rather than a painted face. &nbsp;The turtle shell had LED's on it too for visibility but it's hard to see here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hb2DUyM4qGY/VFXefgn9_SI/AAAAAAAABjw/kPyGre9hyPg/s1600/turtleanddragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hb2DUyM4qGY/VFXefgn9_SI/AAAAAAAABjw/kPyGre9hyPg/s1600/turtleanddragon.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And finally, the girls trick or treating!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Well, thanks again for reading!<br /><br />Miguelhttp://makermig.blogspot.com/2014/11/happy-halloween.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-2812687822799526791Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:18:00 +00002014-10-16T03:28:56.095-07:00Making Toothless and a TurtleHalloween is coming up and this year, I decided to start early with the costumes for the kids. &nbsp;I wanted to do something that the kids wanted. &nbsp;Little did I know, my oldest was still in love with How to Train your Dragon.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8oWcRAQFasw/VD-Q9BlCAqI/AAAAAAAABeM/uowTJRjWYdk/s1600/dragon_hero_toothless.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8oWcRAQFasw/VD-Q9BlCAqI/AAAAAAAABeM/uowTJRjWYdk/s1600/dragon_hero_toothless.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div><br />She said she wanted to be Toothless. &nbsp;And my younger daughter wanted to be a turtle.<br />There are different levels of costumes for Toothless out there and turtles. &nbsp;I wanted to do something that they would be excited about and also learn a little bit about making.<br />So Toothless and the Turtle it was.<br />The first thing I thought I would work on was the wings. &nbsp;But the wings, for me, needed to be able to expand and contract, articulate a bit. &nbsp;So, I looked up some ideas and found an articulating wing design on Instructables. &nbsp;I found <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Articulated-Wing-Framework/" target="_blank">this one </a>&nbsp;by a user named Rachel and proceeded to hack away at it. <br />The main issue I had was that I did not have a frame for a backpack for a seven year old. &nbsp;The other issue was, Toothless has legs and arms so the costume couldn't attach the arms to the wings or else I'd have to make fake legs for Toothless.<br /><br />So first, I sketched out some dimensions and played with some LEGO's to get the articulation going. &nbsp;Then, instead of a frame, I used a pice of 4mm plywood as the back. &nbsp;This of course doesn't allow the wings to flap but we wanted them to just open and close.<br />So I got out the bandsaw and a marker and started drawing shapes and measuring hole spacings.<br />Soon, I came up with these.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BZALDNf8kOI/VD-QhmCn5yI/AAAAAAAABeE/jxZsO_74fWQ/s1600/Dragon%2BWings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BZALDNf8kOI/VD-QhmCn5yI/AAAAAAAABeE/jxZsO_74fWQ/s1600/Dragon%2BWings.jpg" height="321" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My daughter with her dragon wings at different extensions.</td></tr></tbody></table>Toothless however, had ribs going down the middle. &nbsp;So I needed to figure out how to do that.<br />It took pieces of plastic rod and hot glued wire connectors on the ends of them, and then just bolted them on to the top bolt of the wing rib.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TMfgv8PDcTc/VD-RNyR02QI/AAAAAAAABeU/Ps2TA203Wlc/s1600/IMG_1723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TMfgv8PDcTc/VD-RNyR02QI/AAAAAAAABeU/Ps2TA203Wlc/s1600/IMG_1723.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><br />On this picture, you will notice that I have placed bicycle brake wires in the center to pull down and actuate the wings. &nbsp;See the video below for them opening and closing.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Llf2Xc1FtOM/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/Llf2Xc1FtOM?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/Llf2Xc1FtOM?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The only issue is that the wings are rather heavy and difficult for my 7 year old to squeeze the brake handle. &nbsp;I hope to fix this with a linear actuator if I get it in time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I continued with covering the wings with a spandex like fabric.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qD0u9uaKt6E/VD-TRO7HiRI/AAAAAAAABeg/1Y4CdNWZRoU/s1600/IMG_1778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qD0u9uaKt6E/VD-TRO7HiRI/AAAAAAAABeg/1Y4CdNWZRoU/s1600/IMG_1778.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They definitely look like bat wings here. &nbsp;I covered the front side and mounted backpack straps with a piece of contoured foam I cut on my bandsaw so it would fit my daughters back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L9P-Xl4-Exg/VD-UemAFoBI/AAAAAAAABe0/5cQrxFOiVIE/s1600/photo%2Bcopy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L9P-Xl4-Exg/VD-UemAFoBI/AAAAAAAABe0/5cQrxFOiVIE/s1600/photo%2Bcopy.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>It loses a bit of the coolness when you cover the structure so I may just paint the frame black and not cover it. &nbsp;We'll see what my daughter says.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Head</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I started to think about the head I had the plan to sculpt it out of clay, cast it in some kind of resin, and then paint it up. &nbsp;that would give some great details but then, it became clear that wasn't going to happen just because of the timing and the lack of materials I had on hand.</div><div style="text-align: left;">So I decided to just sculpt the thing from foam. So again with the bandsaw, I cut away pieces that didn't look like the dragon and made the head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eg7OYkLrzok/VD-VU43Ap_I/AAAAAAAABe8/zXegVXrDUfI/s1600/IMG_1724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Eg7OYkLrzok/VD-VU43Ap_I/AAAAAAAABe8/zXegVXrDUfI/s1600/IMG_1724.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The process was done with scissors, razor blades, and hot glue and it turned out okay I think.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I of course, wanted my daughter to see through the eyes so I cut through the foam and came up with the idea to create some eyes using vacuum forming.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NIuCqFtHDG0/VD-VsJ-fP9I/AAAAAAAABfE/S7NAHzV-8eI/s1600/IMG_1726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NIuCqFtHDG0/VD-VsJ-fP9I/AAAAAAAABfE/S7NAHzV-8eI/s1600/IMG_1726.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I took a styrofoam egg, cut it in half and saw that that fit okay. &nbsp;So I proceeded to make a vacuum forming machine with some extra wood I had lying around.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3cYEJSTM73Q/VD-YKlI6olI/AAAAAAAABfQ/BHLMj6vewfk/s1600/IMG_1742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3cYEJSTM73Q/VD-YKlI6olI/AAAAAAAABfQ/BHLMj6vewfk/s1600/IMG_1742.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately, I was so excited to get the vacuum forming done I forgot to cover the &nbsp;pieces of styrofoam with aluminum foil so the styrofoam fused to the plastic. &nbsp;:(</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wchge7fhib0/VD-Yd3VmecI/AAAAAAAABfY/YqiUknM4MYw/s1600/IMG_1744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wchge7fhib0/VD-Yd3VmecI/AAAAAAAABfY/YqiUknM4MYw/s1600/IMG_1744.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Next time, I make them out of plaster and cast them.</div><div style="text-align: left;">A second round of work and the first set of eyes came out. &nbsp;I got some testers paint and tried to match the colors of the eyes as much as possible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YKkiSE6qWEI/VD-Zw-BukNI/AAAAAAAABfs/UabqyJWC0DI/s1600/IMG_1756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YKkiSE6qWEI/VD-Zw-BukNI/AAAAAAAABfs/UabqyJWC0DI/s1600/IMG_1756.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">For the mouth I got a piece of cardboard, attached it to another piece of foam and covered it with fabric. &nbsp;The teeth were cut out of foam and hot glued on to the colored cardboard. &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">The ears were two pieces of fabric sewn together by my wife then pulled over the top, nice and snug. &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">Something was missing though and I realized it was the scales of toothless. &nbsp;So my daughter and I proceeded to paint on the scales with some latex paint to give it some texture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-njsQNT-sizs/VD-ZrosvShI/AAAAAAAABfk/nmOeNQL3rhU/s1600/IMG_1775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-njsQNT-sizs/VD-ZrosvShI/AAAAAAAABfk/nmOeNQL3rhU/s1600/IMG_1775.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So the final step for the head will be to add two blue LED's inside with an activation switch in a glove that my daughter will hold. &nbsp;Some more stuff coming up too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d1hJikWRhGM/VD-bh3PGbUI/AAAAAAAABgI/qOQhipQ-cMI/s1600/IMG_1763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d1hJikWRhGM/VD-bh3PGbUI/AAAAAAAABgI/qOQhipQ-cMI/s1600/IMG_1763.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The mouth is attached on the bottom with a fabric hinge and articulates with the chin of of the user.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Turtle Shell</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My youngest daughter wanted something simpler, to be a turtle. &nbsp;So I proceeded to make her a turtle shell out of foam. &nbsp;Using a razor blade and some scissors, I cut out different shapes on the foam.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s--HnNdqWmg/VD-a_bRW58I/AAAAAAAABf4/KN-pKM0kM7A/s1600/IMG_1645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s--HnNdqWmg/VD-a_bRW58I/AAAAAAAABf4/KN-pKM0kM7A/s1600/IMG_1645.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was then covered with a sparkly green fabric my daughter had chosen, and glued down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CpzUKtEBJls/VD-bMPGKy2I/AAAAAAAABgA/_y04SarTE7A/s1600/IMG_1644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CpzUKtEBJls/VD-bMPGKy2I/AAAAAAAABgA/_y04SarTE7A/s1600/IMG_1644.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I put hot glue in the grooves and pressed the fabric into it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So far, so good. &nbsp;We'll see if I get all my parts before Halloween so I can finish this thing. &nbsp;:)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for reading!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Miguel</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2014/10/making-toothless-and-turtle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-7596157779644089554Fri, 22 Nov 2013 20:56:00 +00002013-11-23T08:29:44.510-08:00Stepper Motor MusicI recently came upon a small project by accident. &nbsp;I was working with a bipolar stepper motor and an Arduino, trying to program the steps individually without using the stepper motor class. &nbsp;I finally succeeded, wasn't too hard but noticed I was getting some interesting beat sounds coming from the clicking of the stepper motor as it resonated on my table top.<br />So I wanted to amplify this sound but could not find my piezo amplifier so I decided to use the guitar pickups on my daughters pink mini strat.<br />By placing the stepper motor on the strings and running different sets of intervals between the steps on the stepper motor, I produced some crazy sounds.<br />You can listen to them here on my Sound Cloud account.<br /><a href="https://soundcloud.com/migsmixs/sets/stepper-motors">https://soundcloud.com/migsmixs/sets/stepper-motors</a><br /><br />The basic setup is an H-Bridge with an arduino.<br />You can find the example here.<br /><a href="http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/MotorKnob">http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/MotorKnob</a><br /><br />Rather then using the code in the stepper class, I just started sending values to the pins at different intervals.<br /><br />Here's a video of it working.<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIfX5nt4FPQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIfX5nt4FPQ</a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/eIfX5nt4FPQ/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eIfX5nt4FPQ?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eIfX5nt4FPQ?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><br /><br />Here's the code for the arduino.<br />#####<br />int mo1 = 8; &nbsp;//These are the different pins connected to the H-Bridge<br />int mo2 = 9;<br />int mo3 = 10;<br />int mo4 = 11;<br />int BeatDelay=20;<br /><br /><br /><br />void setup() { &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br />&nbsp; // initialize the digital pin as an output.<br />&nbsp; pinMode(mo1, OUTPUT);<br />&nbsp;pinMode(mo2, OUTPUT);<br />&nbsp;pinMode(mo3, OUTPUT);<br />&nbsp;pinMode(mo4, OUTPUT);<br />}<br /><br />void loop() {<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />myBeat7();<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />}<br /><br />//This is a function that takes in different intervals.<br />void stepMyMotor(int mySpeed){<br />&nbsp; digitalWrite(mo1, HIGH); &nbsp; // turn the Motor on (HIGH is the voltage level)<br />&nbsp; delay(mySpeed); &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; // wait for a delay<br />&nbsp; digitalWrite(mo1, LOW); &nbsp; // turn the Motor off (HIGH is the voltage level)<br />&nbsp; delay(mySpeed);<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; digitalWrite(mo4, HIGH); <br />&nbsp; delay(mySpeed); &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br />&nbsp; digitalWrite(mo4, LOW); <br />&nbsp; delay(mySpeed);<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; digitalWrite(mo2, HIGH); <br />&nbsp; delay(mySpeed); &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br />&nbsp; digitalWrite(mo2, LOW); <br />&nbsp; delay(mySpeed);<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; digitalWrite(mo3, HIGH); <br />&nbsp; delay(mySpeed); &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <br />&nbsp; digitalWrite(mo3, LOW); <br />&nbsp; delay(mySpeed);<br />&nbsp; }<br /><br />//These are the different beats<br />void myBeat1(){<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br />stepMyMotor(100);<br />stepMyMotor(10);<br />stepMyMotor(100);<br />stepMyMotor(10);<br />stepMyMotor(200);<br />&nbsp; }<br /><br /><br />&nbsp; void myBeat2(){<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br /><br />&nbsp; }<br /><br />&nbsp; void myBeat3(){<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br />stepMyMotor(40);<br /><br />&nbsp; }<br /><br /><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; void myBeat4(){<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br />stepMyMotor(120);<br /><br />&nbsp; }<br /><br />//To keep the beats within the same intervals, the delays are divisors of each other 80, 160.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; void myBeat6(){<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br />stepMyMotor(80);<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br />stepMyMotor(160);<br /><br />&nbsp; }<br /><br /><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; void myBeat5(){<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br />stepMyMotor(120);<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br />stepMyMotor(30);<br />stepMyMotor(30);<br />stepMyMotor(30);<br />stepMyMotor(30);<br /><br />&nbsp; }<br /><br />&nbsp; void rev(){<br />&nbsp; &nbsp;int i=0;<br />&nbsp; &nbsp;while (i<50 p="">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;stepMyMotor(i);<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;i++;<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;}<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; }<br />&nbsp; <br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; void myBeat7(){<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br />stepMyMotor(120);<br />stepMyMotor(1);<br />stepMyMotor(60);<br />stepMyMotor(60);<br /><br /><br />&nbsp; }<!--50--><!--50--></50>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2013/11/stepper-motor-music.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-5232415853118969266Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:18:00 +00002013-04-02T13:18:38.518-07:00April Fools Make CoverI took an old picture that I had and made it into a fake cover for Make Magazines April Fools Cover Contest.<br />I went with a Star Wars theme and added some wordings to the cover and viola, there you have it.<br />Enjoy!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HBrmqi7lJH0/UVs8-keTCiI/AAAAAAAABKo/ZTlXWMQzQh8/s1600/MAKEWARS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HBrmqi7lJH0/UVs8-keTCiI/AAAAAAAABKo/ZTlXWMQzQh8/s640/MAKEWARS.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br />http://makermig.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-fools-make-cover.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-3861645346198339229Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:31:00 +00002013-02-25T12:31:37.550-08:00LEGO Peristaltic Syrup PumpAs part of Project PancakeBot, I created a peristaltic pump that dispenses syrup onto the pancakes.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2eVT-ENBmP0/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2eVT-ENBmP0?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2eVT-ENBmP0?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>The pump is made up of round pieces of LEGO, some electric tape and some surgical tubing. &nbsp;A bottle sits in the back and the syrup is sucked up and dispensed onto the plate below.<br />It's quiet a simple contraption but it takes a bit of effort to get the tube to sit in the right place while the rollers squeeze it through.<br />Instructions will be available as part of the PancakeBot instruction set through IndieGoGo.com/pancakebot2013<br /><br />http://makermig.blogspot.com/2013/02/lego-peristaltic-syrup-pump.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-7861425106162401483Sun, 09 Sep 2012 08:48:00 +00002012-09-09T01:48:02.281-07:00LEGO Pancake Bot @ New York World Maker FaireWoo hoo! I'm really excited to announce that the Pancake Bot will be making its debut at the World Maker Faire in NYC! &nbsp;Woo Hoo!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w0DeC9OgI_c/UExW4z8CMGI/AAAAAAAAA5U/O6k_pjFZ3NA/s1600/MFNYC12_round_logo-215.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w0DeC9OgI_c/UExW4z8CMGI/AAAAAAAAA5U/O6k_pjFZ3NA/s1600/MFNYC12_round_logo-215.jpeg" /></a></div><br />The cool thing was, I was interviewed by<a href="http://blog.makezine.com/author/snowgoli/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Goli Mohammadi&nbsp;of Make Magazine!</a> &nbsp;How cool is that?<br />Here's a link to the interview. <br /><br /><a href="http://blog.makezine.com/2012/09/08/maker-faire-new-york-lego-pancake-bot-interview/">http://blog.makezine.com/2012/09/08/maker-faire-new-york-lego-pancake-bot-interview/</a><br /><br />So what is up the Pancake Bot these days? &nbsp;Here's the scoop, or I guess you can say the flip.<br /><br />The Pancake Bot took a break as we've been really busy with moving into our new house, starting a new job and well, enjoying the summer in Norway. &nbsp;I learned that Norwegians have a&nbsp;tendency to stop whatever they are doing when the sun comes out! &nbsp;Well, sort of. &nbsp;At least for summer. <br /><br />I've also been helping out at the <a href="http://www.kongsberg.kommune.no/Tjenester/Kultur/Ungdomskontor/Devo/" target="_blank">DevotekBank1 Lab</a> at the Konbsgerg public library. &nbsp;They got a new 3D printer and CNC machine that I'm anxious to start helping out with and they've agreed to open up the lab after hours for a Maker Space! &nbsp;More details on that to come later! &nbsp;The most exciting thing is, the staff Hilde and Bjørn are coming out to New York for the faire and helping out with the exhibit.<br /><br />So after a summer of fishing, making, building, inventing, destroying and finishing our rental unit #1 at your house, I finally got around to updating the Pancake Bot to make it a bit easier to control.<br /><br />Still sporting only one LEGO NXT unit and a bunch of pneumatics, the new Pancake Bot now has a dual pump/vacuum capability. &nbsp;This allows better batter control. &nbsp;It also integrates the NXT controller into the gantry and uses a centralized NXT motor connected to two long axles and a drive on both sides of the gantry so that gear slipping is reduced to a minimum.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZpvjK9or2VQ/UExSPLaj_PI/AAAAAAAAA4s/bPWJJcgMOHg/s1600/IMG_8000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZpvjK9or2VQ/UExSPLaj_PI/AAAAAAAAA4s/bPWJJcgMOHg/s640/IMG_8000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice how the motor shaft in the center now drives gears on both sides of the unit. &nbsp;There's also some additional touch sensors to calibrate the location of the pancake bot.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fYjdfbeObgM/UExS3HRt-nI/AAAAAAAAA40/ku4W89ALP8E/s1600/IMG_8008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fYjdfbeObgM/UExS3HRt-nI/AAAAAAAAA40/ku4W89ALP8E/s640/IMG_8008.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Batter dispenser unit now incorporates a pressure gauge, a vacuum and extra compression tanks.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ObFDb7tMIKc/UExVcW78ntI/AAAAAAAAA5M/-1Ao5kwRCJQ/s1600/IMG_8033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ObFDb7tMIKc/UExVcW78ntI/AAAAAAAAA5M/-1Ao5kwRCJQ/s640/IMG_8033.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something about the camera really gets the kids to act funny. &nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We'll also be posting up the video of Pancake Bot 2.0 and let's see what shapes I can come up with!<br /><br />Cheers for now and remember to follow me on twitter @migpics for some cool announcements coming soon.<br /><br />Anyhow, check us out at the World Maker Faire in NYC on September 29th and 30th.<br /><br /><a href="http://makerfairenyc.eventbrite.com/">http://makerfairenyc.eventbrite.com/</a><br /><br />I'll do my best to make you some good tasting pancakes!<br /><br />Mig<br /><br /><br />http://makermig.blogspot.com/2012/09/lego-pancake-bot-new-york-world-maker.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-4387081917641508081Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:45:00 +00002012-05-08T04:40:00.097-07:00Makerbot visit!On my way back to Norway from San Diego I had a 27 hour lay over (planned on purpose) in New York City.&nbsp; While there I took advantage of the time and jetted on over to Brooklyn where I was able to meet Greg Shutack and Bre Pettis from MakerBot Industries.<br />It was rather a fluke actually because I got this stupid idea to jet on over to Brooklyn from Hoboken New Jersey and meet someone from the MakerBot there.&nbsp; While trying to find the building I bumbed into this guy on the street with three spindles of ABS plastic and asked him if he could help me with meeting someone there.&nbsp; it was Greg Shutack the Executive Administrator for MakerBot Industries and he gave me a quick tour of the operations.<br />While there I was able to meet Bre Pettis and I embarrassingly flagged him down and said hi and told him about my Pancake Bot.<br />Here is a photo of me and Bre.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxULUE2Uc0Y/T5j8fEa2D1I/AAAAAAAAAzg/JddyGJUhZ68/s1600/Mig_and_bre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxULUE2Uc0Y/T5j8fEa2D1I/AAAAAAAAAzg/JddyGJUhZ68/s400/Mig_and_bre.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>&nbsp;Wow, either I'm really short or he's really tall.<br />Behind us are loads of Makerbots printing lots of things getting ready for the Maker Faire in San Mateo California.<br /><br />What is so cool about this is the fact that these guys took a few minutes out of their busy time to say hi and had no problem encouraging me about my projects and chatting for a second.<br /><br />Thanks Maker Bot Industries!http://makermig.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-my-way-back-to-norway-from-san-diego.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-6699199281912407975Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:25:00 +00002011-07-01T22:03:57.024-07:00How the Pancake Bot Works<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2aux0ZQJVBk/0.jpg" height="400" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2aux0ZQJVBk?f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="640" height="400" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2aux0ZQJVBk?f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />The Pancake Bot (PB) is basically a 3 axis CNC made that uses the Z coordinate as the Pancake Batter Dispenser Control. This one just happens to be made out of LEGO.<br />The Pancake Bot is made up of the following parts:<br /><br /><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.&nbsp; A set of linked base plates with 3 parallel tracks snapped on.&nbsp; One track has </span><span style="font-size: small;">a bunch of Technic, Gear Racks (1 x 4) riding along top which makes up the X axis.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L1k2PoW5o88/Tgedd5OW69I/AAAAAAAAAsU/GHnF0EGG5OY/s1600/IMG_7313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L1k2PoW5o88/Tgedd5OW69I/AAAAAAAAAsU/GHnF0EGG5OY/s320/IMG_7313.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />2.&nbsp; A moveable bridge that holds one NXT motor on one side and has free rolling wheels on the other.&nbsp; The top of the bridge uses two tracks covered with gear racks that holds the Pancake Batter Dispenser Unit (BDU).&nbsp; The track allows for Y Axis Control.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X3SSyaVWbM4/TgedbMAZsXI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/UaXZ2BTCQEM/s1600/IMG_7312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X3SSyaVWbM4/TgedbMAZsXI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/UaXZ2BTCQEM/s640/IMG_7312.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />3.&nbsp; A carrier gantry on top of the moveable bridge that rides on the gear racks and holds the PDU.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6FhHDswoRc/TgedYHM1vtI/AAAAAAAAAsM/NqkkeD_Z__0/s1600/IMG_7311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6FhHDswoRc/TgedYHM1vtI/AAAAAAAAAsM/NqkkeD_Z__0/s640/IMG_7311.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />4.&nbsp; The PDU consists of two ketchup bottles cut in half and glued together so you have two open ends.&nbsp; This allows you to change the nozzle size on the bottom and allows for input of compressed air on top.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jh-PPYgkX2k/TgedgZDTwKI/AAAAAAAAAsY/YVlZGgQ9wpc/s1600/IMG_7314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jh-PPYgkX2k/TgedgZDTwKI/AAAAAAAAAsY/YVlZGgQ9wpc/s640/IMG_7314.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br />5.&nbsp; Compressed Air Dispersal Apparatus (CADA) consists of an NXT Motor, two Pneumatic Cylinders, a tank and a bi-directional flexible switch.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a1rlQCoDzkA/TgedigZ1A0I/AAAAAAAAAsc/it4hvZ3ee6E/s1600/IMG_7315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a1rlQCoDzkA/TgedigZ1A0I/AAAAAAAAAsc/it4hvZ3ee6E/s640/IMG_7315.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />The bi-directional flexible switch allows for the switch to be flipped based upon which direction the NXT motor turns.&nbsp; If you notice in the video, on the close up of the motors turning, the cam is switching the flexible switch every time it rotates.&nbsp; In the initial turn, the switch is flipped and stops and then continues to flex out of the way of the rotating cam.&nbsp; When the motor turns the other way, the cam catches the switch, flips it back and changes the direction of the airflow.&nbsp; It continues to flex as the cam passes over it.&nbsp; This allows for air to be compressed when the motor turns clockwise, and then the air to be released when the motor turns counter-clockwise.<br />The reason I did this is because I only have 3NXT motors and needed to a way to change the direction of the air flow while at the same time, still compressing air.<br /><br /><div style="font-family: inherit;">The Program</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Originally, the goal was to control this with Python NXT, an open source programming interface developed by Marcus Warner and the Python NXT group.&nbsp; It worked like a charm at first but for some reason, I could no longer communicate with the brick, so I went back to using the less flexible LEGO Mindstorms programming. </div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit;">The program itself is a variant of the the Etch-A-NXT program found in Extreme NXT, by By Michael Gasperi, Philippe E. Hurbain, and Isabelle L. Hurbain.&nbsp; The original program just controlled two motors using an external text file.&nbsp; I modified the program by adding the third motor.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit;">The text file needed to draw with the Pancake Bot uses three coordinates, each with a character return afterwards.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit;">360</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">2400</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">-500</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit;">This tells the NXT to rotate Motor A 360 degrees, Motor B 2400 degrees, and Motor C 500 degrees conterclockwise.&nbsp; Depending on which gears you choose, one rotation can equal different numbers of units of movement.<br />I used the 8 tooth gear which with one rotation, moves 4 standard LEGO units.<br />Depending on the size of your electric griddle, you can calibrate how big you want your drawings.<br />A simple program in XL converts the LEGO units into degrees and outputs the text file.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Motor C in this case is the Z axis which controls the BDU.&nbsp; It also acts as a timer for discharging the batter.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The parts that are exposed to the heat of the griddle are covered with a sheet of aluminum foil during cooking.&nbsp; This reduces the chance of parts melting.<br /><br />Making the batter.<br /><br />The batter is made using <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/338185/basic-pancakes">Martha Stewart's Basic Pancake Recipe as the base.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; I sometimes add cinnamon or different berries for flavors or color.<br />Once the batter is made it goes through a strainer and all the clumps are removed.&nbsp; This makes the batter smooth and allows for continuous flow of the batter from the BDU.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Things to work on!</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">The BDU is not the best design but other attempts were not as successful for batter delivery.&nbsp; I attempted using a standard RCX motor with a corkscrew that went to a funnel but the corkscrew was not as effective as using air pressure.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">A corkscrew discharge would allow for controlled amount of flow vs. the air pressure discharge (10 turns equals 20cc's of pancake batter.&nbsp; When you use the air pressure discharge you have the additional variable of batter viscosity and so any slight changes in batter recipe modifies the flow speed.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">The advantage of the air pressure solution is that you don't need a mechanical means to extrude the batter, so even using a aquarium pump (thanks Bruce Shapiro from Egg-Bot) could be used to control the flow of the batter.</div>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-pancake-bot-works.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-8317582457473949252Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:37:00 +00002012-05-13T23:38:17.015-07:00I made this snow sculpture about a week before the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan but hadn't posted any pictures of it yet. (We wish the people of Japan the best as they face several catastrophes.)<br /><br />&nbsp;It's a sculpture of a Valkyrie VF-1S R.Focker Custom Snow Sculpture from the Robotech Macross Saga, a cartoon I watched as a kid.&nbsp; Maia is standing in front of it for scale.&nbsp; It's painted with non-toxic finger paint and I shot it in the morning as the sun came up over the horizon.&nbsp; There are no build instructions for it but I ended up using a broom stick in the torso after the thing fell over twice while I was in the middle of making it.&nbsp; There is a stick for the gun since it hangs over so much.&nbsp; Hope you enjoy the photos.&nbsp; Now it's back to getting Chris-bot and the animation project going again!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HQ9q05FGhLk/TYHMH8UmeHI/AAAAAAAAArA/pNWe7i8pisc/s1600/Robotech_Battleoid_Snow_Sculpture015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HQ9q05FGhLk/TYHMH8UmeHI/AAAAAAAAArA/pNWe7i8pisc/s640/Robotech_Battleoid_Snow_Sculpture015.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_jxiMGRLhZI/TYHNgnhsjpI/AAAAAAAAArE/9jS2fvf2k0M/s1600/Robotech_Battleoid_Snow_Sculpture002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_jxiMGRLhZI/TYHNgnhsjpI/AAAAAAAAArE/9jS2fvf2k0M/s640/Robotech_Battleoid_Snow_Sculpture002.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the non painted version.&nbsp; I personally like the painted version because the colors really add to the shading of the thing.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9cnHQfyWkEk/TYHNhZtSJSI/AAAAAAAAArI/KQ7hMu6FYzU/s1600/Robotech_Battleoid_Snow_Sculpture012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9cnHQfyWkEk/TYHNhZtSJSI/AAAAAAAAArI/KQ7hMu6FYzU/s640/Robotech_Battleoid_Snow_Sculpture012.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes, it's not cool to mess with a robot.&nbsp; Don't worry about Maia.&nbsp; She was outside for 2 minutes and it was nice and warm in the sun.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xVl-UXLLU9w/TYHNhx17YWI/AAAAAAAAArM/u-LkUh7nQJo/s1600/Robotech_Battleoid_Snow_Sculpture013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xVl-UXLLU9w/TYHNhx17YWI/AAAAAAAAArM/u-LkUh7nQJo/s640/Robotech_Battleoid_Snow_Sculpture013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She just didn't listen when I told her not to play with the robot.</td></tr></tbody></table>This will probably be my last snow sculpture as the snow is starting to get crispy and not very usable.&nbsp; I may give it one last shot this weekend, maybe a snow speeder in the woods, or possibly an Imperial tie fighter.<br />We'll see.<br /><br /><br /><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-made-this-snow-sculpture-about-week.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-3377609046706133620Fri, 11 Mar 2011 07:33:00 +00002015-01-10T10:25:04.474-08:00light sabersculpturesnowsnow sculpturetaun taunHow to Make a Star Wars Taun Taun out of Snow<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ewt9xiKp3U0/VLFuOv8TnSI/AAAAAAAABpM/IWgQyWe3YJc/s1600/11748433825_fed8b648b6_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ewt9xiKp3U0/VLFuOv8TnSI/AAAAAAAABpM/IWgQyWe3YJc/s1600/11748433825_fed8b648b6_o.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XEpMHlHfv-w/VLFt1RBy85I/AAAAAAAABpA/TyOs4oj3Zfc/s1600/11748676753_e0fcb3cfb8_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XEpMHlHfv-w/VLFt1RBy85I/AAAAAAAABpA/TyOs4oj3Zfc/s1600/11748676753_e0fcb3cfb8_o.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u44h7T8rzqo/TXitywGiSqI/AAAAAAAAAqE/17CtBxa6HRI/s1600/IMG_5709bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u44h7T8rzqo/TXitywGiSqI/AAAAAAAAAqE/17CtBxa6HRI/s640/IMG_5709bw.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I asked my cousin <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/donsolo/">Don Solo</a> what kind of sculpture I should do next and he suggested a Tauntaun which I think is rather appropriate since it gives something for the kiddies to ride on.&nbsp; Not as technical as the <a href="http://blog.mexicanviking.com/2011/02/how-to-make-at-at-imperial-walker-snow.html">AT-AT snow sculpture</a> but it still was pretty fun to make.&nbsp; I also made a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AObWdmTH4KM">timelapse video</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AObWdmTH4KM">(Click here for link) </a>of the making of this thing with some music by my friend in Orange County named <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/trailerstudios">Mark Dumas of Trailer Studios.&nbsp;</a><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AObWdmTH4KM?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br /><br /><br />Here's the build instructions for you.<br /><br /><b><u>Supplies:</u></b><br /><ul><li>About 30 shovels of sticky snow (Standard snow shovel about 24 inches wide by 18 inches deep)</li><li>1 stick about 2 feet long to hold the neck in place (you only need the stick if kids are going to be sitting on it so they don't knock off the head when they try to hug the thing)</li><li>1 Spray bottle full of Snow Glue (AKA water)</li><li>1 Butter knife (now with 1 million and 2 uses) </li><li>1 hand saw to cut away extra snow if necessary</li><li>A hammer to nail stick into upper torso</li><li>A leather harness or piece of rope</li><li>A small child (preferably your own or used with the permission of a parent)</li><li><a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tauntaun">A picture of a Tauntaun found at a Star Wars Wiki Site</a></li></ul><b><u>Build Time:</u></b><br />About 2 hours (can be cut down if one person brings snow and the other person builds)<br /><b><u><br /></u></b><br /><b><u>Instructions</u></b><br /><br />1.&nbsp; Again, start off with sticky snow, preferably when outside temperatures are about 35 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 C).&nbsp; Try to use more powdery snow which can be found underneath the thin layer of crunchy snow.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-L2r45qzozy4/TXintDOT_3I/AAAAAAAAApI/VN-U3aaJc3Q/s1600/tauntuan00111.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-L2r45qzozy4/TXintDOT_3I/AAAAAAAAApI/VN-U3aaJc3Q/s320/tauntuan00111.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />2.&nbsp; Begin by making a base of snow in the shape of a small R2 Unit by packing snow together tightly. The base should be about as tall as the child you intend to put on the thing.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j75WyLXbUrA/TXinuDIO6wI/AAAAAAAAApU/lfOqt-icZaI/s1600/tauntuan00250.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j75WyLXbUrA/TXinuDIO6wI/AAAAAAAAApU/lfOqt-icZaI/s320/tauntuan00250.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />3.&nbsp; Once you have your base, hammer in stick so it sticks up at a 30 degree angle from vertical.&nbsp; Make sure it's nice and solid.&nbsp; If not, pull out, repack with snow and try again.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f92jJn_bAJU/TXinugqFx_I/AAAAAAAAApY/8jwv1Mi4mfE/s1600/tauntuan00286.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f92jJn_bAJU/TXinugqFx_I/AAAAAAAAApY/8jwv1Mi4mfE/s320/tauntuan00286.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />4.&nbsp; Proceed with building the tail by creating a thin wall of snow to support the main tail and build on top of that.&nbsp; This wall will be carved away after the snow freezes a bit.&nbsp; <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iLTwa-wdBBY/TXinvDL8xwI/AAAAAAAAApg/ll1O43dQeqk/s1600/tauntuan00513.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iLTwa-wdBBY/TXinvDL8xwI/AAAAAAAAApg/ll1O43dQeqk/s320/tauntuan00513.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />5.&nbsp; Build up a bit of snow around the neck.<br /><br />6.&nbsp; Begin piling up snow on the sides of the base to make the legs.&nbsp; Tauntaun legs are really big, like dinosaur legs so make sure you get some nice bulk there.<br /><br />7.&nbsp; Once you have your general leg shape in place, star working on the saddle by piling up a small wall around the top of the back of the base.<br />8.&nbsp; At this point you can test the saddle size by placing the test child on the sculpture.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WDI32lb1bSg/TXjiXnmSv8I/AAAAAAAAAqU/ZPrUzN7UaJA/s1600/tauntuan00604.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WDI32lb1bSg/TXjiXnmSv8I/AAAAAAAAAqU/ZPrUzN7UaJA/s320/tauntuan00604.jpeg" width="316" /></a></div><br />9.&nbsp; After removing the test child, proceed with building up the torso of the Tauntaun and then work your way up to the head.&nbsp; Make sure the head is turned to one side as this makes for a more interesting sculpture than just looking straight ahead.<br />10.&nbsp; Proceed with building the arms and extending them outwards.&nbsp; The claws curl in to tho the body.&nbsp; Spray with Snow Glue once you're happy with the arms.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rvGdtpurWKM/TXinwEwWhUI/AAAAAAAAApo/VxoBd0BcxEk/s1600/tauntuan00984.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rvGdtpurWKM/TXinwEwWhUI/AAAAAAAAApo/VxoBd0BcxEk/s320/tauntuan00984.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />11.&nbsp; Add horns and ears by placing bits of snow on the side of the head and building up a little at a time.&nbsp; Once you're happy with the horns, spray with Snow Glue (water) so it will freeze up a bit. <br />12. Form the mouth completely closed at this time.&nbsp; It's easier to carve out later.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sPAdEmMyqdk/TXinxDR3HTI/AAAAAAAAAp0/NqX4hevCCmo/s1600/tauntuan01546.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sPAdEmMyqdk/TXinxDR3HTI/AAAAAAAAAp0/NqX4hevCCmo/s320/tauntuan01546.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>13.&nbsp; You should now have a general shape of the Tauntaun and you can begin carving in the details with your butter knife like the eyes, the nose, extending the feet and ears.&nbsp; Don't forget the saddle strap that goes under the Tauntaun.<br />14. Once you're happy with the details, remove portions of the support from underneath the Tauntaun to make the belly as well as removing portions of the support from the tail.&nbsp; Snow doesn't overhang very well for long distances unless it's frozen so you may have to leave a bit of support at the end of the tail or simply let it support itself on the ground.<br />15.&nbsp; Spray the entire sculpture with Snow Glue (water) and let sit for about 15 minutes.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ga4EvNJgq1w/TXinxtV-7cI/AAAAAAAAAp4/CVXoKDQLn9Q/s1600/tauntuan01655.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ga4EvNJgq1w/TXinxtV-7cI/AAAAAAAAAp4/CVXoKDQLn9Q/s320/tauntuan01655.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>16.&nbsp; Add harness or rope and smooth Tauntaun with bear hands to create smooth surface.&nbsp; Please note in the picture it may look like the Tauntaun has a fin on its tail but it's not a fin, just a piece of snow in the background.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IIpblG-PNcE/TXiuOBbmdmI/AAAAAAAAAqM/ha0VHLu_0BU/s1600/IMG_5748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IIpblG-PNcE/TXiuOBbmdmI/AAAAAAAAAqM/ha0VHLu_0BU/s640/IMG_5748.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />17.&nbsp; Finally add child with goggles, light saber and/or laser blaster and fun captions.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rIHAfheCLZs/TXjFtm9Yg-I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/EBf_LF113zo/s1600/IMG_5789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rIHAfheCLZs/TXjFtm9Yg-I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/EBf_LF113zo/s640/IMG_5789.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Captain Solo.&nbsp; We've spotted the children and it seems their Tauntaun has frozen before it reached the first marker.'</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><u><b>Photo Tips</b></u><br /><ul><li>When shooting photos of you (yes, you'll also want to try it out) or the kids make the shot more interesting by shooting from low or high angles.</li><li>Picking up the details in the snow may be difficult if you're using direct flash but if you can bounce the flash in from an angle, you'll get better shadows which brings out the detail.</li><li>Use a photo editing program like Photoshop or Gimp (Open source) to increase the contrast and bring out more detail.</li><li>The light saber glow is done by using three layers in Photoshop.&nbsp; First lay down a straight airbrushed line across the edge of the saber.&nbsp; Second, overlay that with a thinner feathered white line and fade back to about 30%.&nbsp; Last, add a layer underneath the saber layer and paint the surrounding areas with the color of the saber.&nbsp; Fade back to about 7% and this gives you a nice vibrant glow in the surrounding area of the saber.</li></ul>Thanks for visiting and if you repost this, please remember to show the proper credit!<br />Starwars and Tauntaun are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd.<br /><br /><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="horizontal" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-make-star-wars-taun-taun-out-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-3527523440774801645Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:36:00 +00002012-05-13T23:39:25.155-07:00AT-ATlightlight saberpisabersculpturesnowsnow sculptureHow to make an AT-AT Imperial Walker Snow Sculpture for Kids.<span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;These are the instructions for making an AT-AT Imperial Walker Snow Sculpture. </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z-cYmGFtCns/TW4CMRJ4WpI/AAAAAAAAAoY/JvzqwywY-MM/s1600/Imperial+AT-AT+Snow+Sculpture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z-cYmGFtCns/TW4CMRJ4WpI/AAAAAAAAAoY/JvzqwywY-MM/s640/Imperial+AT-AT+Snow+Sculpture.JPG" width="425" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SrZQ7bbeIAc/TWvFYaFtjGI/AAAAAAAAAn4/51GH1dGd0bw/s1600/IMG_7022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>First, wait for the snow to be a little bit mushy and you can make a snow ball by just grabbing it with one hand.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CCqlaxr0mx8/TWvFZ0QBjbI/AAAAAAAAAn8/NwihS03-nVM/s1600/IMG_5458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CCqlaxr0mx8/TWvFZ0QBjbI/AAAAAAAAAn8/NwihS03-nVM/s640/IMG_5458.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next start off with something completely unrelated like the Pi symbol.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GqG1HzqnGTc/TWvFa_dJBPI/AAAAAAAAAoA/p7KaiLLVjmg/s1600/IMG_5465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GqG1HzqnGTc/TWvFa_dJBPI/AAAAAAAAAoA/p7KaiLLVjmg/s640/IMG_5465.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Then come to the realization that you can make legs of snow and actually bridge snow over short distances. The way to bridge the snow is to start off with small chunks and have the snow grow ever so slightly off the legs.&nbsp; Then slowly start piling more and more snow on top of the thing and it should hold.&nbsp; <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page">Now find a picture of an AT-AT Imperial Walker at a Star Wars Wiki Site. You'll need this to try to get as close to the details as possible.</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5if8wV_kMjo/TWvFboeK4SI/AAAAAAAAAoE/WxInbN-1T2M/s1600/IMG_5470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5if8wV_kMjo/TWvFboeK4SI/AAAAAAAAAoE/WxInbN-1T2M/s640/IMG_5470.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">Pile on the snow and make a small column to support the head and shape away with some hand tools such as a trowel, a small saw and a butter knife(now with one million and one uses).&nbsp; Stick a kids broom into the body and form snow around it for the head.&nbsp; Note:&nbsp; I don't recommend you put the broom on as you're building the body, you want to jam it in to the torso so the snow compacts around it and holds it tight).<br />Use a column that looks like smoke to support the head.&nbsp; (You may consider adding a crashed snow speeder there but the column is temporary).<br />Continue adding small patches of snow, little bits at a time to build up the different parts of the legs, head and body.&nbsp; The legs need to be rather fat because you'll be carving a lot out of them.<br /><br />The best way to do this is to scrape the snow from the top surface of the ground as that usually is nice and sticky.&nbsp; Notice the&nbsp; trowel in the background.<br />Pack it down with the concrete forming tool, then use a knife or a saw to cut straight lines into the cylinders on the legs and the body.&nbsp; Carve the details with a sharp knife and then use your fingers to patch it up.<br />Run your bare hand over parts that you want to turn to ice as the top layer will melt and then freeze again forming a nice hard shell.<br />When I'm forming these things I use wool gloves as they get bits of ice on them and it creates a sand paper like effect.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-TsouDte6j2Y/TW-MgSBxMQI/AAAAAAAAAo4/tozjvNvMkto/s1600/IMG_7044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-TsouDte6j2Y/TW-MgSBxMQI/AAAAAAAAAo4/tozjvNvMkto/s640/IMG_7044.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>&nbsp;Add details and smooth out with fingers.&nbsp; Let sit overnight before adding children.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QR4Kkaw0uUU/TWvFcqiTcYI/AAAAAAAAAoI/3opL1_2XbIs/s1600/IMG_5537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QR4Kkaw0uUU/TWvFcqiTcYI/AAAAAAAAAoI/3opL1_2XbIs/s640/IMG_5537.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Let it sit overnight and then breakaway the support on the head by carefully cutting away at it little by little as close to the head as possible.</div><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;The legs are about 15 centimeters (6 inches) wide and have managed to hold about 50 pounds worth of children.</div><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kMVeLC9wcBE/TWvFdgOhfCI/AAAAAAAAAoM/Bd1jtiNRLiQ/s1600/IMG_5539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kMVeLC9wcBE/TWvFdgOhfCI/AAAAAAAAAoM/Bd1jtiNRLiQ/s640/IMG_5539.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add children and lightsabers (a little <a href="http://www.gimp.org/">Gimp </a>action on the glows) and you're having a blast! </td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="cssButton" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=30951409&amp;postID=6158206759261048414" id="publishButton" target=""></a><br /><div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner"><a class="cssButton" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=30951409&amp;postID=6158206759261048414" id="publishButton" target=""><br /></a></div></div></div><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-k3dnhdqdiC4/TWvF3uGelkI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/tBpZouyMaiw/s1600/IMG_5513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-k3dnhdqdiC4/TWvF3uGelkI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/tBpZouyMaiw/s640/IMG_5513.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pair of x-country skis works too.&nbsp; Helmet provided for safety.<br />Enjoy! </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TW-hjV9HMWQ/TWvF-jo98HI/AAAAAAAAAoU/Pr6AriqWFwM/s1600/IMG_5451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="horizontal" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-make-at-at-imperial-walker-snow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-5417463816119797053Fri, 17 Dec 2010 07:30:00 +00002010-12-16T23:30:40.231-08:00Creating basic AutoCAD LISP with PythonI recently started a new job as a design engineer in Norway and have been looking for a way to draw line and text examples that would show the various line types and colors according to our pen settings in our plot file.<br />So I was going to draw a line, then change the color, and write the name of the color next to it.<br />The problem was that there was 255 colors in AutoCAD and that would take a long time.<br />Because the process was repetative I decided to try to write a lisp routine that would draw an assortment of polylines and then put them on correct layers with the appropriate colors.<br />Now after messing around with python I created a simple script (with the help of bytes.com) that would generate the lisp routine.<br /><br />*****<br />fn = "instructions.lsp" <br />instructionList = ['(defun C:layermaker()',]<span style="color: red;"></span><br />for i in range(1,255):<span style="color: red;"></span><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; instructionList.append('(COMMAND "-LAYER" "MAKE" "COLOR %s" "COLOR" "%s" "" "")' % (i, i)) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; instructionList.append('(COMMAND "PLINE" "%s,0" "%s,2000" "")' % (i*50, i*50))<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; instructionList.append('(COMMAND "TEXT" "%s,2200" "30" "0" "COLOR %s")' % (i*50,i)) <br />f = open(fn, 'w') <br />f.write("\n".join(instructionList)) <br />f.write(")") <br />f.close()<br />*****<br />This python code creates a file called instructions.lsp, then makes a list called instructionList and adds the lisp function name of (defun C:layermaker()<br />It then iterates from 1 to 255 items and concatenates the numbers of the colors into the autoCAD commands.<br />Then it opens the file, writes the list to the file, adds a parenthesis and closes it.<br /><br />Here's what it generates<br />**** <br />(defun C:layermaker()<br />(COMMAND "-LAYER" "MAKE" "COLOR 1" "COLOR" "1" "" "")<br />(COMMAND "PLINE" "50,0" "50,2000" "")<br />(COMMAND "TEXT" "50,2200" "30" "0" "COLOR 1")<br />(COMMAND "-LAYER" "MAKE" "COLOR 2" "COLOR" "2" "" "")<br />...<br />(COMMAND "-LAYER" "MAKE" "COLOR 254" "COLOR" "254" "" "")<br />(COMMAND "PLINE" "12700,0" "12700,2000" "")<br />(COMMAND "TEXT" "12700,2200" "30" "0" "COLOR 254"))<br />***<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TQoNEuhpHlI/AAAAAAAAAmc/W7uDnmH-uYA/s1600/colorlines.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TQoNEuhpHlI/AAAAAAAAAmc/W7uDnmH-uYA/s400/colorlines.JPG" width="308" /></a></div><br />The coding is very basic and it basically took me several hours to figure out how to do this because I'm new at python.&nbsp; But I learned alot.<br />If you're interested in the DXF file just add a comment and I'll see what I can do to get it to you.<br />Basically what you'll have is a way to plot all your pen styles onto one drawing so you know what your colors and lineweights are.<br /><br />Here's the code in blue and comments in red.<br />:<br /><span style="color: blue;">fn = "instructions.lsp"</span><span style="color: red;"> #Creates a file named 'instructions.lsp'</span><br /><br /><span style="color: blue;">instructionList = ['(defun C:layermaker()',]</span><br /><span style="color: red;">#Creates a list called instructionList and makes the first item on the list '(defun C:layermaker()' which is the name of the function.</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">for i in range(1,255):</span><span style="color: red;">#Uses the range function to iterate from 1 to 255 which is the number of colors that AutoCAD has.</span><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color: blue;">&nbsp; instructionList.append('(COMMAND "-LAYER" "MAKE" "COLOR %s" "COLOR" "%s" "" "")' % (i, i)) </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red;">#Uses the append function to add an autoCAD command that creates a new layer.&nbsp; The %s is the variable and is defined at the end by i,i</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; instructionList.append('(COMMAND "PLINE" "%s,0" "%s,2000" "")' % (i*50, i*50))</span> <span style="color: red;">#Uses the append function to add an autoCAD command that creates a polyline that is 2000 units long.&nbsp; It inserts the variable i multiplied by 50 to create the spacing for the line.</span><br /><span style="background-color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp;</span>&nbsp;&nbsp; <span style="color: blue;">instructionList.append('(COMMAND "TEXT" "%s,2200" "30" "0" "COLOR %s")' % (i*50,i))</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red;">#Uses the append function to add an autoCAD command that creates a line of text.&nbsp; Notice the i*50,i.&nbsp; This multiplies the variable times 50 which allows the proper spacing, then the second i refers to the name of the color.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: red;">#At this point it loops back to the first append function and iterates with the next number untill it reaches 255</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">f = open(fn, 'w')<span style="color: red;"> </span></span><span style="color: red;">#this opens the file defined as fn which is defined above as instructions.lsp</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">f.write("\n".join(instructionList))</span> <span style="color: red;">#this writes the list to the file</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">f.write(")") </span><span style="color: red;">#this adds a parenthesis to the end of the function</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">f.close() </span><span style="color: red;">#this closes the file</span>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/12/creating-basic-autocad-lisp-with-python.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-2505954400753936038Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:43:00 +00002010-07-20T07:43:33.752-07:00Passed National Engineer Test!Well today I received the results from my test in April and managed to pass the National Civil Engineering eight hour exam.&nbsp; This means that I can obtain a license in all states except from New York, California, Hawaii and Alaska.&nbsp; What it does for Norway I'm not sure but it's just nice to know I won't have to sit for another eight hours on a plastic chair eating almonds and almost breaking down in the middle of the test feeling like I'm going to throw up asking myself why I focused on hydrology.<br />To get my California license, I now need to pass the seismic portion of the test.&nbsp; Woo hoo.http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/07/passed-national-engineer-test.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-4638956543371164669Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:54:00 +00002010-06-24T12:55:48.484-07:00Possible Solution to capture the oil from the BP Leak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TCO3lvoOnkI/AAAAAAAAAcI/bYHbduCwkKU/s1600/Containment_Contingency_Option_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TCO3lvoOnkI/AAAAAAAAAcI/bYHbduCwkKU/s400/Containment_Contingency_Option_large.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TCOOoybcE2I/AAAAAAAAAb4/jq_j-Mmjy_8/s1600/Tapered+Tube.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TCOOoybcE2I/AAAAAAAAAb4/jq_j-Mmjy_8/s400/Tapered+Tube.jpeg" width="400" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TCOOrXwmSlI/AAAAAAAAAcA/6BBm5g5gma8/s1600/Inserted+Tube.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TCOOrXwmSlI/AAAAAAAAAcA/6BBm5g5gma8/s400/Inserted+Tube.jpeg" width="400" /></a><a class="cssButton" href="javascript:void(0)" id="draftButton" onclick="if (this.className.indexOf(&quot;ubtn-disabled&quot;) == -1) {var e = document['postingForm'].saveDraft;(e.length) ? e[0].click() : e.click(); if (window.event) window.event.cancelBubble = true; return false;}" target=""></a></div><div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner"><a class="cssButton" href="javascript:void(0)" id="draftButton" onclick="if (this.className.indexOf(&quot;ubtn-disabled&quot;) == -1) {var e = document['postingForm'].saveDraft;(e.length) ? e[0].click() : e.click(); if (window.event) window.event.cancelBubble = true; return false;}" target=""><br /></a></div></div></div>This solution modifies the existing LMRP Cap.&nbsp; I've tried to reconstruct it here in the 3D model.&nbsp; The first image is of the model off the BP site.&nbsp; The original LMRP Cap would remove the sealing grommet and install a slightly tapered pipe that would expand the existing riser pipe as its pressed in.<br /><a href="http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/incident_response/STAGING/local_assets/images/Containment_Contingency_Option_large.jpg"><br /></a>One of the issues coming off the riser is that the existing pipe was clipped rather than nicely sawed.<br />By inserting a slightly tapered pipe end into it you could basically expand the existing steel (assuming you can place enough pressure on it through weight etc.) and insert it into the tube.&nbsp; This would create a metal to metal seal.&nbsp; You would have a ball valve on top of the tube you're inserting that would be open and then you close it slowly or begin taking in oil.<br />Here's some sketches.<span id="goog_1162848049"></span><span id="goog_1162848050"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />This would wedge the proposed tube into the riser. If your angle of attack is shallow, then it would be a longer tube ensuring a better seal.http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/06/possible-solution-to-capture-oil-from.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-2418402127089664271Sun, 13 Jun 2010 15:42:00 +00002012-05-08T04:44:30.290-07:00Making of Star Wars, Revenge of the Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>This is my latest Photoshop project.&nbsp; It's a photo of my daughter in a battle shooting down Tie Fighters.&nbsp; The wind caught her hair at just the right moment.&nbsp; The caption reads, "Star Wars Revenge of the Kids".<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT7TQFi_HI/AAAAAAAAAag/egsp98hXeTg/s1600/Resize2+of+Star+Wars+Revenge+of+the+Kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT7TQFi_HI/AAAAAAAAAag/egsp98hXeTg/s640/Resize2+of+Star+Wars+Revenge+of+the+Kids.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The original image was taken of my daughter as she's looking through a spy glass at Sea Port Village in San Diego California. The other images are from a WWII photo of a fighter getting shot down, an image of a Tie fighter and the Rebel Alliance logo.&nbsp; The Star Wars title is lifted off a PNG I found off the web and the text for Revenge of the Kids uses a Trajan font.<br />The lasers pulses are Photoshopped using the standard air brush and a green glow.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT2X71iFII/AAAAAAAAAZw/YO06obJQTr0/s1600/Shot+Down2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT2X71iFII/AAAAAAAAAZw/YO06obJQTr0/s400/Shot+Down2.jpg" width="267" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT2e0iAQkI/AAAAAAAAAaA/RouLgEZgfLo/s1600/tiefighter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT2e0iAQkI/AAAAAAAAAaA/RouLgEZgfLo/s200/tiefighter.png" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT2ff1pE-I/AAAAAAAAAaI/OUNGAfRaEZ4/s1600/swpatch0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT2ff1pE-I/AAAAAAAAAaI/OUNGAfRaEZ4/s200/swpatch0009.jpg" width="193" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT2f1U-MyI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/2Rd9acyZWNE/s1600/265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT2f1U-MyI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/2Rd9acyZWNE/s320/265.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT5FrQTKqI/AAAAAAAAAaY/QETeZ2W116E/s1600/star_wars_logo_svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TBT5FrQTKqI/AAAAAAAAAaY/QETeZ2W116E/s320/star_wars_logo_svg.png" /></a></div>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/06/making-of-star-wars-revenge-of-kids.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-7783675242064280714Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:53:00 +00002010-06-02T07:53:17.053-07:00Painting of Chris Bot!So my wife Runi helped me paint Chris Bot this evening.&nbsp; She has a background in theater and was able to create a nice textured look like old metal on him.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TAX741qtycI/AAAAAAAAAXo/bzz4gUeKJCY/s1600/IMG_9735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TAX741qtycI/AAAAAAAAAXo/bzz4gUeKJCY/s400/IMG_9735.JPG" width="267" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TAX8D62-qMI/AAAAAAAAAXw/648yrABsqwo/s1600/IMG_9740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TAX8D62-qMI/AAAAAAAAAXw/648yrABsqwo/s400/IMG_9740.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TAX8nwMle_I/AAAAAAAAAYI/SwnAlNfLHKc/s1600/0058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/TAX8nwMle_I/AAAAAAAAAYI/SwnAlNfLHKc/s400/0058.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Once the light is adjusted you can see his true color.&nbsp; In the photo above he contemplates taking a photo of the flower.<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_AdWKy3BXI">Here's the link to the short Youtube Video.</a><br /><br />You may have to see it a few times to get the hang of whats happening.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2_AdWKy3BXI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2_AdWKy3BXI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/06/painting-of-chris-bot.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-2961101605742166480Fri, 21 May 2010 15:42:00 +00002010-05-21T08:42:13.556-07:00Chris Bot Lives!So I couldn't wait to get the paint on Chris Bot and I just decided to start animating him.&nbsp; After all, I mean, why not right?<br />So I made a rig out of LEGO and plasticine that kept Chris Bot standing and pulled out the web cam and started animating the guy.&nbsp; The results can be seen on you tube and yes, I still have the trial version of Stop Mo pro but it's not that bad.&nbsp; The rig wasn't removed because I think I can't do rig removal with the trial version, well at least export rig removal.<br />Anyhow, here's the embedded video and a link to the you tube video.&nbsp; Once you viddie it, then drop me a line and tell me what you think!<br /><br />At the end Chris Bot falls down but for some reason, you tube clipped the video.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuEBA5VZS9o">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuEBA5VZS9o</a><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RuEBA5VZS9o&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RuEBA5VZS9o&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/05/chris-bot-lives.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-5745361200078818770Wed, 19 May 2010 16:41:00 +00002010-05-19T09:43:33.347-07:00Imperial Pipe CarrierOne of the things that I always wondered about as an engineer was exactly what type of infrastructure rebuilding plan the Imperial Senate had.&nbsp; In comparison to our planet, I have been creating Star Warish type of infrastructure tools that the Imperial Army would have to use to maintain infrastructure.&nbsp; Assuming that pipeline relining happened on Tatooine, I created a pipeline relining cart that is used to insert steel liners into existing pipes.&nbsp; It's been modified with droids and other technology and of course a Storm Trooper contractor is driving the thing.&nbsp; To see what relining looks like on our planet, <a href="http://www.sdcwa.org/infra/cip-reliningPMDelDios_photo.phtml">click this link at the San Diego County Water Authority Website.</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_QTG3KaAyI/AAAAAAAAAVg/JyuV6mnvT3Y/s1600/IMG_9205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_QTG3KaAyI/AAAAAAAAAVg/JyuV6mnvT3Y/s400/IMG_9205.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here the carrier is carrying a steel liner.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_QTJcKOijI/AAAAAAAAAVw/sY50T_UhM7M/s1600/IMG_9216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_QTHt1sOfI/AAAAAAAAAVo/-uE0Sc8Lwcw/s1600/IMG_9229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_QTHt1sOfI/AAAAAAAAAVo/-uE0Sc8Lwcw/s400/IMG_9229.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_QVI8bBgRI/AAAAAAAAAV4/1DnSdNioIgc/s1600/IMG_9216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_QVI8bBgRI/AAAAAAAAAV4/1DnSdNioIgc/s400/IMG_9216.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Hydraulic driven arms expand the pipe liners allowing the liner to be securely placed in the pipe and welded.http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/05/imperial-pipe-carrier.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-6423918814130190114Tue, 18 May 2010 15:11:00 +00002010-05-18T08:11:08.822-07:00LEGO Construction SiteWhen I was a kid I used to play occasionally with a LEGO Police Station set that my parents bought me in 1981 or thereabouts and I used to build all the police cars and buildings that came with the set.&nbsp; I really wanted the space set and so I had to improvise on making air tanks with rubber bands and round studs.<br />People always said, 'Oh, you're going to be an engineer' and so I got it in my head that I was going to be an engineer. <br />As an engineer I don't play with LEGO.&nbsp; I occasionally draw lines in AutoCAD that represent pipes and spend most of my time managing projects.<br />On my spare time, I still play with LEGO and last year made a model of a construction site for one of our pipe rehabilitation projects.&nbsp; Here's a photo of one of the pipe enclosures before back filling the holes.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_Kti9PViaI/AAAAAAAAAVY/oIB4cbfyY94/s1600/IMG_9114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_Kti9PViaI/AAAAAAAAAVY/oIB4cbfyY94/s400/IMG_9114.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>These projects are used to fix aging pipes in the San Diego area and construction means tearing out a piece of the pipe and dropping steel liners into this hole in the ground and transporting them to the appropriate area that needs to be installed.&nbsp;<br /><br />Here's a couple of photos of the diorama I did complete with sound walls to mitigate any impacts to endangered species and fencing to avoid any intrusion into the green areas.<br /><br />Total cost for this model?&nbsp; After shipping and handling and acquiring all the pieces from Bricklink, about 600 dollars! <br />The liner in the LEGO model is transparent but in reality it is half inch thick steel. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_Kr7knPu-I/AAAAAAAAAUw/PvdUTD76nIk/s1600/DSC_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_Kr7knPu-I/AAAAAAAAAUw/PvdUTD76nIk/s400/DSC_0080.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Front View of the complete model.&nbsp; Notice cement truck and vent structure.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_Kr9lagLGI/AAAAAAAAAU4/NjIUk3vAbVQ/s1600/DSC_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_Kr9lagLGI/AAAAAAAAAU4/NjIUk3vAbVQ/s400/DSC_0092.JPG" width="400" /> </a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_Kr_9D4uzI/AAAAAAAAAVA/BCFH1H3CwFo/s1600/DSC_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_Kr_9D4uzI/AAAAAAAAAVA/BCFH1H3CwFo/s400/DSC_0093.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_KsBW1W0WI/AAAAAAAAAVI/LCJONw66r2Y/s1600/DSC_0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_KsBW1W0WI/AAAAAAAAAVI/LCJONw66r2Y/s400/DSC_0095.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_KsDO48hJI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/96Y1QCex6hU/s1600/DSC_0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_KsDO48hJI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/96Y1QCex6hU/s400/DSC_0099.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/05/lego-construction-site.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-7332584860403206435Mon, 17 May 2010 15:53:00 +00002010-05-17T10:15:54.167-07:00Foam Latex Chris-BotOver the last month I've been working on making a small puppet known as Chris-Bot.&nbsp; It has an aluminum armature and a foam body.&nbsp; Well, this last weekend I finally got around to casting Chris-Bot in his foam latex body and it came out pretty good I have to admit, at least for my first time doing it.<br />Here's a video of the birth of Chris Bot.<br />Special thanks to my wife for all her help in getting Chris-Bot to come alive.&nbsp; Now the fun part, to animate him! <br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywMH7dnc9HI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywMH7dnc9HI</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_FmM2iFPjI/AAAAAAAAAUg/FgML5tZeSXc/s1600/2010.05.16+106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S_FmM2iFPjI/AAAAAAAAAUg/FgML5tZeSXc/s320/2010.05.16+106.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/05/foam-latex-chris-bot.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-518222033248757780Sun, 02 May 2010 16:54:00 +00002010-05-02T09:54:59.114-07:00Logo Mosaic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S92fczaeWTI/AAAAAAAAASg/TP3Cais1hhk/s1600/2010.04.30+183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S92fczaeWTI/AAAAAAAAASg/TP3Cais1hhk/s320/2010.04.30+183.jpg" /></a></div>Over the weekend my daughter and I put together a LEGO mosaic of a water drop that is used for the San Diego County Water Authority logo.&nbsp; We did it for a one of my coworkers who's retiring.<br />We did a time lapse video of the construction of it and posted it on Youtube.<br />Here's a link to the Video:<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBKv2RdJw7Y"> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBKv2RdJw7Y</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EBKv2RdJw7Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EBKv2RdJw7Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/05/logo-mosaic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321704853035946922.post-7839456594074210696Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:12:00 +00002012-05-08T04:48:10.446-07:00Recycling Can FixA couple of months ago my neighbor was upset that the recycling truck slammed her trash can down and broke the plastic hinges that held the wheels in place.&nbsp; This is quite a problem for people.&nbsp; The cans sit in the sun and then get slammed around by the recycling trucks and always end up breaking.&nbsp; They get replaced for 60-100 bucks a pop depending on the size.&nbsp; My neighbor said she was upset that she was going to have to pay 60 bucks for a new one.<br />For Neighbor Day (which is around my birthday this year) I decided to take care of it for her.&nbsp; With a few hose clamps, screws and some plywood, I fashioned a fix for her.&nbsp; From the photo you can see that the wheels where originally held on by the plastic and you can see how those are broken.&nbsp; So far, this is held pretty well and no complaints from the city! She offered to pay me for the time but I said no big deal and let it go.<br />It's not a very impressive project but yet, it shows you how you can fix things rather than get new ones! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S9XXBPjEwvI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/w7Y8sn6UGIc/s1600/2010.04.26+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SLub8XnzBZo/S9XXBPjEwvI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/w7Y8sn6UGIc/s400/2010.04.26+040.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>http://makermig.blogspot.com/2010/04/recycling-can-fix.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mexican Viking)1